Outside of a few casting rumors (the most illustrious being Saoirse Ronan and Benedict Cumberbatch) and speculation over the new trilogy’s story, no concrete information has come out regarding Star Wars Episode VII‘s story. Recent news has come out explaining why lips have been so tight about the film’s narrative.
Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy released a statement saying director J.J. Abrams and Star Wars Episodes V and VI co-writer Lawrence Kasdan will be re-writing the script that Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) was previously working on. Kennedy states:
I am very excited about the story we have in place and thrilled to have Larry and J.J. working on the script. There are very few people who fundamentally understand the way a ‘Star Wars’ story works like Larry, and it is nothing short of incredible to have him even more deeply involved in its return to the big screen. J.J. of course is an incredible storyteller in his own right. Michael Arndt has done a terrific job bringing us to this point and we have an amazing filmmaking and design team in place already prepping for production.
It’s reported that Abrams wasn’t happy with Arndt’s script, preferring to write an entirely new script. It’s unknown if any of the story’s elements will be retained, but it’s good to see Abrams taking a more direct approach with the film, considering how huge it will be. Because of the change in personnel, the film’s production will be delayed. Its previously rumored May 2015 release may be pushed until Winter 2015. But hey, better a delay for quality control than rushing out a subpar product, right?
[via /Film]